She was selfish and selfless, and maybe that describes most of us. Bronwyn as a character left me conflicted. That’s part of why Bronwyn left and she is hardly the first Tufa to leave, even in her family, but she found the need to be home greater than her need for something different. People run from their heritage all the time. Some people may even ask why would the Tufa even ever leave their lands with that in mind, but just because something is the “best” thing for you doesn’t mean that your heart doesn’t long to see things, to see the outside world, to have new experiences, even if that means weakening yourself or facing the unknown to do it.

I will admit in explaining the Tufa at points I think Bledsoe was trying to be as plain as possible for clarity’s sake, but instead those passages started to feel redundant and had me asking, “What can’t the Tufa do? Can one Superman punch someone into the sun? Asking for a friend.” On their own land, they hold a lot of power. It’s totally in keeping with the setting of such a story, but it may offend some. This is redneck country, expect some ugliness is what I’m saying–in language and actions. While he’s more interesting as a villain for this, he isn’t much better a villain than the state trooper except for his Tufa connection. There’s also a few villains among their own including a man named Dwayne Gitterman, an ex-boyfriend of Bronwyn’s, who has “burned” the music out of him through his own evil. Also, there’s much prejudice that the Tufa deal with, especially with the state trooper that patrols the area whose role isn’t much more than to be your standard racist villain. Don’s story can seem a little disjointed from the rest of the book until you keep in mind there is a power struggle going on. While many believe them to be one people, they are actually two separate and equally power factions of people who don’t like each other much and seem to be vying for power. Don’t think you’re going to get just a flowery book about music and magic. It can be used to express many different things in the Tufa life. I should briefly point out that in this book the term “the hum and the shiver” is used frequently and in many beautifully poetic ways. Excellent story that combines music and folklore

The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe